1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication apparatuses performing near-field radio communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Functions of portable terminals, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and notebook computers, have been advancing, and many portable terminals have been provided with radio data communication functions. An inventor of this invention has proposed that near-field radio communication interfaces used in technologies for non-contact IC cards be used in such portable terminals in Matsuo, T. “Overview of Non-contact IC Card Technology ‘FeliCa’.” (in Japanese) Interface, CQ publishing Co., Ltd, (March 2003): p. 66-75. Using near-field radio communication interfaces in portable terminals provides the portable terminals with functions similar to those of non-contact IC cards. In addition, the portable terminals provided with the near-field radio communication interfaces are capable of operating as readers/writers to communicate with other apparatuses.
When portable terminals function as readers/writers, in order to communicate with other apparatuses, the portable terminals must be positioned close to the other apparatuses and some operation input must be performed, unlike IC cards. However, portable terminals, which are small, are difficult to operate. In particular, performing an operation when portable terminals are close to other apparatuses may be very inconvenient for users.